Tag based knowledge system for healthcare enterprises

ABSTRACT

Contemplated systems and methods provide an integration platform to facilitate the exchange of information between RFID tagged objects and non-RFID systems. In especially preferred aspects, RFID tagged objects include patients, personnel, and assets of a healthcare facility, while preferred non-RFID systems include asset management systems, timekeeping systems, electronic medical records systems, and hospital and pharmacy information systems. Contemplated systems and methods will apply rules to associate RFID information with events, which will then be correlated with appropriate steps that can be effected in a varied and automated manner. In further preferred aspects, RFID technology is employed to upgrade patient telemetry to provide positional information the hospital system.

This application claims priority to our U.S. provisional applicationswith the Ser. Nos. 60/791,058, filed Apr. 10, 2006, and 60/822,737,filed Aug. 17, 2006, both of which are incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of the invention is data processing operations utilized in thepractice, administration, or management of a healthcare enterprise (U.S.Class 705/28)

BACKGROUND

Healthcare enterprises, whether hospitals, nursing homes, surgicalcenters, physician's offices and so forth, all have challenges trackingtheir various assets. One problem is that such facilities typicallycontain a large number of different types of assets, including forexample, rooms, gurneys, diagnostic equipment, treatment equipment,bandages and other supplies, drugs, and so forth. Another problem isthat such assets are often mobile, and during the course of even asingle day can be present at different times in a dozen or moredifferent locations. Similar problems exist for personnel assets,including for example, physicians, nurses, technicians, and otherpersonal.

In addition to difficulties in tracking assets, healthcare enterprisesencounter significant difficulties in efficient utilization of assets.That situation occurs for numerous reasons, including for example thefact that many assets are only usable upon cleaning or otherpreparation, and many are suitable only in combination with otherassets. Thus, an x-ray machine might only usable when there is aqualified x-ray technician available to operate it, and a physicianmight only be able to perform a surgical procedure when accompanied by anurse having an appropriate skill set.

Healthcare enterprises have made considerable strides over the years inimplementing computer systems that address materials management, bedmanagement, staff timekeeping, pharmacy and lab procedures andreporting, and billing. Many enterprises have also implementedapplications for specific departments, including for example theemergency rooms (ER), operating rooms (OR), intensive care unit (ICU),and cardiac care units (CCU). Unfortunately, many of these systems havetrouble communicating with each other, and some do not communicate withother systems at all. Such lack of communication can significantlyreduce efficiency and increase costs.

One might image that manufacturers of the existing systems would developenterprise wide solution, and indeed in some instances that process isgoing forward. But enterprise-wide solutions run into enormous problems,not least because manufacturers commonly try to implement proprietarysystems and methods that exclude their competitors, and that approachtriggers enormous resistance from physicians and staff that might beforce to adopt technologies with which they are unfamiliar orcomfortable.

It is known that Radio Frequency Identification Tags (RFID tags) can beused to keep tabs on the locations of equipment, supplies, and so forth,and there are already systems on the market that utilize suchinformation for specific applications. For example, there are RFID tagsystems that are suitable for keeping track of locations of assets. In2005 Cisco™ announced its Wireless Location Appliance™ 2700, which usesWiFi access points to gather signal strength indicators from 802.11devices and tag, and triangulates the information to roughly determinethe locations of the devices.

It is also known that RFID tags can be used to obtain and transmitphysical parameters data (e.g., time, temp, and moisture, etc), andoperational data (e.g., on/off, ready/not ready, damaged, being cleaned,etc). Several manufacturers have already announced plans to include suchtags in their equipment, but there do not appear to be any such systemsin common use. However, what does not seem to have been appreciated isthat all three types of information described above as being derivablefrom RFID tags (location, physical parameters data, and operationaldata), can or should be combined and then distributed to multipledifferent computer systems in a healthcare environment.

It turns out that such a clearinghouse approach to RFID data can bringtremendous value in a highly cost-effective manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides apparatus, systems, and methods in whichRFID information is provided for multiple different purposes in ascalable, flexible manner, preferably using rules and correlations thatcan be altered by healthcare staff having little or no specializedinformation technology (IT) expertise. Such information may be furthercombined with patient telemetry to provide positional information of thepatient and/or associated healthcare personnel.

The RFID information will typically include one or more of locationinformation, physical parameters data, and operational data, and it isfurther contemplated that different types of items can be tagged,including equipment, people, and supplies. Any suitable type of tag, orcombinations of different types of tags, can be utilized, with readers(also known as interrogators or transceivers) placed around theenterprise as appropriate. Contemplated systems can have anywhere from asingle tag to 5,000 or even more tags in a large enterprise. The readerscan advantageously be positioned such that at least 80% of the RFIDinformation is refreshed at least every 10 minutes, and but morepreferably the system would be implemented such that at least 80% of theRFID information is refreshed at least every minute.

The core of the system is contemplated to be embodied in a generalpurpose computer. Data entry and display devices communicatively coupledto the computer can be positioned throughout the enterprise, and caninclude electronic tablets, cell phones and pagers, as well as fullsized data entry screens and displays such as might be found inaccounting departments and nurses stations. In most or even all casesthe data entry and display devices need not be dedicated to handlinginformation derived from the RFID data. Preferred systems and methodsinclude a Java or other cache that stores current RFID information, arules based engine that derives events from the RFID information, acorrelation engine that derives steps from the events, and an executionengine that delivers information relating to the steps. Ideally, staffmembers of the enterprise can define at least one of the rules andcorrelations entirely using menus and/or point and click techniques.

Events can fall within any appropriate range of generality tospecialization. For example, an event might comprise “a doctor reportedto the emergency room for duty” or “Dr. Jones reported to the emergencyroom for duty.” The same is true of steps. One step might be to“discharge the patient” and another might be to “send an SMS message toDr. Jones advising of delay in surgery.” All realistic steps arecontemplated, including one or more of sending a text message, a page ora voice message, and providing information to disparate systems,including a billing system, a bed management system, a staff timekeepingsystem, and a medical information system.

The inventive subject matter further provides systems, methods anddevices in which are RFID circuitry is combined with a telemetry unit.The RFID circuitry can be combined with the telemetry unit in anysuitable manner, including for example including the circuitry in a tag,and attaching the tag to the telemetry unit, or to a patient wearing thetelemetry unit. The RFID circuitry preferably uses Ultra-Wide bandfrequency capability, or other high resolution technology. In especiallypreferred embodiments the RFID circuitry can provide resolution to belowfive feet in at least some area of a medical care facility that uses thetelemetry unit.

In other contemplated uses, the RFID circuitry can be used to provideinformation used in billing use of the telemetry unit, or for some otheraspect of billing. Additionally or alternatively, the RFID circuitry canprovide information that is used to predict an event related to apatient carrying the telemetry unit and/or as input to an informationtechnology software package in a medical care facility.

Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription of preferred embodiments of the invention, along with theaccompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of an “Intelligent Clearing House” forRFID information.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of an alternative view of the“Intelligent Clearing House” of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a high level flow chart of data flow within a preferredembodiment.

FIG. 4 is a chart showing sample records in a RFID table.

FIG. 5 is a chart showing sample records in a rules table.

FIG. 6 is a chart showing sample records in a correlations table.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are screen shots of portions of a floor mapdemonstrating zoom functionality on mobile assets.

FIG. 8 is a use case showing how patient care could be improved using apreferred embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a use case showing how operational efficiency could beimproved using a preferred embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a person wearing a vital signs monitorbox and a wristband, each tagged with an Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) RadioFrequency Identification (RFID) tag.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 depicts an intelligent clearing house system 10 generallyincluding RFID tagged items 20, computer processing hardware andsoftware 30, and third party applications 40. Arrows 21C, 22C, 23C, 41C,42C, 43C, and 44C depict communications to and from the computerprocessing hardware and software 30.

Tagged items 20 are shown in FIG. 1 as including Staff 21, Patients 22,and Equipment 23, but virtually anything can be tagged. One could, forexample, tag consumables, and especially expensive or controlledsubstances such as certain drugs and stents. One could also tagdocumentation such as patient records, computer programs, computerprintouts, journals and other library materials and periodicals.

In a real world implementation one would typically work backwards from abusiness problem being addressed. For example, if an enterprise isincreasing capacity of an emergency room, it might be advisable to tagall the medical staff, the patients, and the medical equipment relatedto the ER. With staff one would typically include an RFID tag on thebadges already used for identification, to access certain floors, orpossibly on a radiation badge. One might also include a fingerprint orother biometric sensor. For patients it is most advantageous to tag thewrist or ankle bands, so that the tag remains with the patientthroughout the stay. Alternatively or additionally, an enterprise coulduse a tag carried by a staff member or patient that is already includedin his/her cell phone, pager, PDA or other device. One could put apatient tag on the patient's chart, but it is much better to put apatient tag on the patient and a document tag on the chart. Equipment isreadily tagged directly on the unit, and in some cases the equipmentmight already by tagged.

It is contemplated that a single entity, whether staff, patient,equipment, or otherwise, could have any type of tag that is functional,and possibly multiple tags. The current preference appears to be foractive tags, such as those available from Parco/MultispectralSolutions,™ Pango,™ Ekahau,™ Exavera,™ and Aeroscout™. Some active tagsare disposable and some have replaceable batteries. Many modern activetags can operate on an ultra-wide band, and thereby have sufficientlylow energy consumption to last four or more years on a single battery.Ultra-wide (UWB) frequency approved in June 2002 by the FCC forcommercial use. UWB operates at a very high spectrum band (6.3 GHz) andtherefore there are no interference and security issues. The nature ofthis frequency allows assets to be located within 1-foot granularity.The readers can see 600 feet and employ triangulation algorithms thateliminate the need to have readers in every room. These readers have lowpower needs and the batteries in the tags have a life of approximately 4years. Currently preferred readers are those marketed by Parco andMultispectral.™

In general, the exact feature set of the tags is a matter of customerpreference and need. Tags come in a variety of configurations, with thecurrently preferred tag being about 1 inch×1 inch (2.5 cm×2.5 cm) forequipment, a regular badge for staff, and a wristband for patients andvisitors. Some installations prefer, or are already outfitted with,other types of tags such as passive, semi-passive, and/or semi-activetags. Some tags might deliver only identify information used fordetermining location, while other tags might provide other types ofinformation such as physical parameters data (time, temperature, andmoisture, etc) and operational data (e.g. on/off, status, etc).

A major strategic advantage in systems and methods described herein isthat they can be completely hardware agnostic to the underlying RFIDsystem that a particular prospective customer employs. Among otherthings this lowers the barrier to accepting the new service andfacilitates choosing the best possible RFID hardware for a particularsituation. As illustrated below, further benefits derive from employinga “command-center” approach that interfaces with different RF systems,and can become the central information processing unit of “who, what,where, and when” of medical equipment, staff and patients.

Any suitable type of tag, or combinations of different types of tags,can be utilized, provided appropriate readers are installed, andprovided sufficient readers are placed around the enterprise. Forexample, if an enterprise uses ultra-wide band tags, then it needs toutilize at least some ultra-wide band readers. Contemplated systems canhave anywhere from a single tag to 5,000 or even more tags in a largeenterprise. The readers can advantageously be positioned such that atleast 80% of the RFID information is refreshed at least every 10minutes, and but more preferably the system would be implemented suchthat at least 80% of the RFID information is refreshed at least everyminute. Typically one would place readers at doors to detect passivetags, and active tag readers on ceilings and hallways. Current activetag readers can often triangulate locations of tags from up to 200meters away, through walls and other structures, with a resolution ofonly a meter or less.

Arrows 21C, 22C, and 23C represent potentially two-way communicationbetween the tags and tagged items on the one hand, and the computerprocessing hardware and software 30 on the other hand. At the very leastthe tags need to wirelessly communicate with the tag readers (upwardarrows), and the readers then typically communicate with the computerprocessing hardware and software 30 using cable or another wirelesscommunication. The downward arrows typically depict communications tothe tagged items rather than to the tag itself. For example, thecomputer processing hardware and software 30 might send an email, voicemail, or page to an appropriate device carried by a staff member or evena patient. It is contemplated that future tags will have displaysassociated with them, so that a lost patient, for example, could belocated and directed back to his/her room.

Computer processing hardware and software 30 preferably contains atleast the three layers shown. The lowest layer on the diagram ismiddleware 32, which receives tag data, such as location, duration,temperature, or moisture or other environmental parameters from thereaders. Ideally, middleware 32 can be implemented in a generalizedfashion to accommodate any needed inputs, thereby preventing the systemfrom being tied to any particular manufacturer or model of tags or tagreaders, or any particular telephone or other communications system.Having received the data, middleware 32 then preferably passes the datainto the core engine, described here as an Intelligent Associations AndAnalytics Engine 34, which preferably has a hot cache or other memorystructure 34A, 34B, and 34C and is preferably structured/operated underJava. The core engine 34 applies a set of rules to the RFID informationto determine events, and applies correlations to the events to determinesteps, and then executes or initiates execution of the steps. Some ofthose steps provide passing information along to the third partyapplications 40 via additional middleware 36, described here as theUniform Enterprise Visibility Applications and Semantic Data. Inreal-world embodiments, middleware 36 is likely to be implemented asseparate processors, such as the blades in a blade server, to handlecommunications with the various proprietary interfaces of the thirdparty applications 40.

Arrows 41C, 42C, 43C and 44C represent communication between middlelayer 36 and the third party applications 40. That communication willmostly involve one-way communication, with the middleware 36 supplyinginformation to the third party applications 40 (upward arrows). But itis contemplated that one or more of the third party applications 40could send inquiries or other data to the middleware 36 (downwardarrows). Communication characterized by arrows 41C, 42C, 43C and 44Dwill likely, but not necessarily, be formatted according to a standardmessaging protocol, such as Health Level 7, which is known in the art.

Hospitals can easily have dozens of third party applications, handlingmany different types of information. Among the contemplated third partyapplications are an asset management application 41, a staff timekeepingapplication 42, a hospital information application (HIS) 43, and anelectronic medical records application 44. Another of the contemplatedapplications 40 is a web portal where hospital administrators canpull-up operational reports of not only their hospitals but, whenappropriate, see similar reports on medical assets being used at otherhospitals for the purpose of comparing notes and sharing and learningbest practices. Currently this kind of information can only be obtainedby one-to-one (versus many-to-many) conversations; poring through a vastarray of industry publications; or by attending expensive, oftendistant, educational meetings. The web portal application highlights thehealthcare IT industry's migration from providing pure informationtechnology to providing information itself. Transcending conventionalincremental benefits associated with the IT business, the addition of arich and varied database of the latest information on products, servicesand methods employed by hospitals, is expected to empower hospital orother healthcare enterprise managers to perceive and react rapidly andin a manner adding significant value and cost savings to theirorganization. In essence, they will have this knowledge database to helpthem be proactive and either preclude or quickly “put out operationalfires.”

In yet another contemplated aspect, the “Intelligent Clearing Housesoftware” can have a mapper-software that integrates processedintelligent data to support Information Technology systems such as IDX,Cerner etc. inside the hospital through GUI screens and“point-and-click” software. Still further, an “Intelligent ClearingHouse software” engine can move beyond automatic detection of events toautomated prediction of events. The predicted events could well compriseHL7 standard events, including for example patient admission, patientdischarge, and so forth. Exemplary events include the following:

1) “Patient X-ray procedure complete”: The system can detect that anX-ray procedure was completed, or that a surgical procedure is about tostart, by determining that the patient was transported out of the X-rayroom, waited in the radiology hallway for a bit, re-entered the X-rayroom, and is just coming back to the surgical unit.

2) “Patient Transfer Complete”: By detecting that a patient istransported from OR (after being in OR for 2 hours), and is the enteringsurgical unit, the system can determine that the patient left one unitof the hospital and is about to enter other.

3) “Equipment Sterilization Complete”: By detecting that a equipment wasmoved to a sterilization unit, was in the sterilization room for arequired number of minutes, the system can determine that the equipmentis done with sterilization and is being moved back to a patient's room.

FIG. 2 shows how implementations described herein can coordinatenumerous aspects of information flow within a hospital or other healthcare enterprise, even though the subject matter is not directed toproviding a completely unified system. In this instance there are iconsfor Physician (part of Staff 21), Patient 22, and Equipment 23, all inaccordance with FIG. 1, and also additional icons for another type oftagged item (Surgery 24), and additional types of third partyapplications (Enterprise (HIS) 43, Lab 45, Pharmacy 46, and Suppliers47). The central circle labeled “RFID System” corresponds to thecomputer processing hardware and software 30. Arrows 21C, 22C, 23C, and43C correspond to the same numbered arrows in FIG. 1, while arrows 24Crepresent communication between tagged items in the operating room 24(patient, staffs, or equipment) and middleware 32. Similarly, arrows45C, 46C, and 47C represent communication between the third partyapplications in the lab 45, in pharmacy 46, and suppliers 47,respectively, and middleware 36.

In FIG. 3, the core engine 100 (34 of FIG. 1) applies a set of rules 112to the RFID information 110 to determine events 120, appliescorrelations 122 to the events 120 to determine steps 130, and thenexecutes 132 the steps 130. As described above, some of those steps 132provide passing information along to the third party applications 40 viaadditional middleware 36. FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary portion of an RFIDtag table, showing field designators (Tag ID, Tag Type, Tag Name,Coordinates, and Time Stamp) in the first column and four sample recordsin columns 2-5. The reader will note that FIGS. 4-6 are each orientedsideways to the normal viewing perspective; such that the columnsrepresent individual records and the rows represent fields. FIG. 5depicts an exemplary portion of an Event Rule table, showing fielddesignators in the first column and four sample records in columns 2-5.Of course, it should be noted that the data can be generalized. Thus,the “who” field (row 4) could reference a type of asset and notnecessarily an instance of the type. For example, the corresponding cellof record 1 might use the designation “Doctor” instead of including theliteral “Dr. Jones”, the corresponding cell. Similarly, the “where”could be “examining room” as opposed to a particular zone.

The data can also be used to interact with third party systems 40. Forexample, the message field (row 16) could be an HL7 communication to athird party application such as a bed management system, rather than atext message to the corresponding “who” field. Still further, themessage could be a keystroke recording or other logon script, thataccesses context relevant information (from one or more of the thirdparty systems) with respect to the “who” or other information in record1. FIG. 6 depicts a portion of a Correlation Engine table, showing fielddesignators in the first column and four sample records in columns 2-5.

In terms of interfaces, several highly advantageous softwarefunctionalities are contemplated, including: (a) reporting the locationof the responder as being within one of a plurality of businesslocations; (b) using scalar vector graphics to display the locationswith varying degrees of detail (see FIGS. 7A and 7B); (c) displayingreplay of movements of the assets; (d) displaying utilization profilesof the assets; and (e) coordinating the locations of the at least someof the assets data from a global satellite positioning system (GPS). Itis still further contemplated that different ones of the readers(referenced earlier as responders) can operate with first and seconddifferent middleware, different frequencies, different types ofinterrogators, etc, and that the system according to the inventivesubject matter can nevertheless consolidate output from the differenttypes of equipment. This could be viewed as an “air-traffic controller”type of system, in that it can operate with and coordinate with a largenumber of different systems, some of which may be incompatible with eachother. FIG. 8 is a use case showing how patient care could be improvedusing a preferred embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a use case showing howoperational efficiency could be improved using a preferred embodiment.

In yet another preferred aspect of the inventive subject matter asexemplarily depicted in FIG. 10, a person 200 is wearing a vital signsmonitor device 210 tagged with a first Radio Frequency Identification(RFID) tag 212, and a patient identification wrist band 220 tagged witha second RFID tag 222. Of course, the person 210 shown is emblematic ofall possible persons, regardless of gender, race, age, ambulatorystatus, and so forth.

The specific vital signs monitor device 210 shown here is a Micropaq™device available from Welch Allyn™. Device 210, however, should beviewed as emblematic of all possible devices, including for examplepatient telemetry devices that might be larger or smaller, of differentconfigurations, and regardless of how they are worn about the body. Manyother devices that can serve the role of device 210 are known in theart. Thus, FIG. 10 should be interpreted broadly to include teachingsand suggestions that the same, or an alternative, device could be wornabout the chest, leg, coupled to a gurney carrying the person as apatient, and so forth. The critical limitations are that the device 210can be carried on the person, has a portable power supply, has wirelesscommunication capability, and monitors and provides data for at leastone vital sign.

Similarly, the various tags 212, 222 should also be viewed from thebroadest possible perspective, and are emblematic of all sizes andshapes of RFID tags, and all types of such tags including, for example,active or passive tags, standard or Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) frequencytags, and so on. There is, however, a definite preference for tags thatcan provide two dimensional spatial resolution in at least some portionsof a typical hospital setting down to at least about 10 feet (3 meters),more preferably to at least two feet, and most preferably down to atleast one foot resolution.

Adding a high-resolution RFID tag of whatever type to ISM and WMTSWireless Telemetry band equipment is contemplated to be valuable in thatit enables locating patients in substantially real-time with highresolution. This can be extremely useful, for example, in locating apatient when there is a “code-blue” situation, and also in locatingnearby personnel and equipment when such tags are there as well. It isstill further contemplated that use of high resolution RFID tags onpatients (and/or on or in telemetry devices), in conjunction withappropriate software, can even identify when a patient falls to thefloor, or for some other reason stops moving. In such case, anintelligent software system can dispatch nearest staff member. Yetanother aspect of using UWB or other RFID tags on telemetry devices isthat such use can facilitate efficient and accurate capture of billinginformation. Among other things the use of the device can be detectedand charged on a per-day or other time basis.

In a still further aspect of contemplated systems and methods,inappropriate use of tagged patients can be reduced or at leastdocumented. For example, nurses are expected to read a bar-code byscanning a patient wristband, and then to scan the bar-code on drug ormedical supply being administered. Unfortunately, for convenience orother reasons, the patient wristband can be easily duplicated andscanned together with the drug or medical at the nurse's station, thusdefeating an otherwise helpful safety system.

In contrast, contemplated systems using RFID technology are expected toimprove patient identification accuracy. Active tags are being adoptedto track patients, medical staff, and medical equipment. But due toeconomical reasons, the drugs, medical supplies and lab specimens willcontinue to have bar-coding or passive tags which will need some type ofhandheld reader and manual intervention to read. Consequently, it iscontemplated that the handheld reader to read bar-code or passive tag ondrug, medical supply or lab specimen also includes an active tagembedded or slapped-on, which will help to close the loop on completematching of “five rights” before the patient is delivered some type ofclinical service (The physical location of this hand-held reader that isscanning the drug, medical supply, lab specimen will ensure physicalproximity check to the patient automatically). In such case, when theclinician comes closer to the patient, and both are wearing active tags,the identification of the patient is automatically done throughproximity. The next step is for the clinician to actually administer adrug, use some medical supply, verify a specimen or perform someprocedure. It should be appreciated that RFID tags cannot be easilyduplicated or printed like barcodes. There is also no ability to verifywhere the patient bar-code wristband is being read. In the above method,the physical location of the patient is known as well as the location ofmedical staff and the hand-held reader that is reading the drug, medicalsupply or lab specimen, which helps enforcing the “five rights” checkwith automation using new type hand-held reader and a new method.

Consequently, it is particularly contemplated that conventional handheldreaders are used to scan a barcode or passive tag (e.g., on a drug,medical supply, lab specimen etc.) and that such devices are coupled toan active, semi-active or even passive RFID tag with any radio frequency(HF, UHF, 2.4 GHz, 6.3 GHz and so on) or any wireless standard (Wi-fi,Zigbee, UWB and so on). Most preferably, such tagged readers are thenused in the context of FIGS. 1 and/or 2.

It should be noted that implementations according to the inventivesubject matter presented herein offer many benefits. Among otheradvantages, intelligent RFID technology provides healthcare providers adynamic and visual model on patient flow at the facility, giving insighton efficiency and quantity of asset usage. Users can instantly locateassets like medical staff, medical equipment, medical supplies, andpatients, offering total asset visibility to the healthcareorganization. The Return-on-Investment (ROI) is supported by moreaccurate patient billing, better asset utilization, and better assetpreventive maintenance, reduced asset shrinkage, better security,increased productivity, reduced medical errors, thus reducing costs andincreasing quality of care and safety. Intelligent asset utilizationincreases tend to reduce asset purchases and rental bills, an increasein equipment billing accuracies (and in future versions even taggeddrugs and medical supplies), cuts asset shrinkage, and potentiallyincreased facility throughput due to increased productivity.

Currently, hospitals are focusing their RFID adoption activities onmedical equipment tagging for the purpose of gaining operationalinsights about equipment utilization, maintenance and billing. But thebenefits become even greater as RFID tags become more intelligent and gobeyond simple locating functions, e.g., to sense temperature, moistureetc. Among other things the systems and methods described herein providepowerful processing software to harvest all of a client's incrementaldata as it flows in and through the organization, leading to improvedstaff productivity (e.g., by finding equipment, staff, and patientseasily), which results in reductions in wasted manpower time and effort.Systems and methods according to the inventive subject matter will alsoreduce patient stays inside hospitals while increasing quality-of-care(e.g., by being able to track and treat patients and monitor their careand medications more efficiently).

Viewed from a difference perspective, contemplated systems and methodsmay be viewed as adding a horizontal “layer” that cuts across multiple(often disparate) IT systems; each handling a specific verticaloperation like asset management, staff time keeping, EMR (ElectronicMedical Record), HIS (Hospital Information System), and PhIS (PharmacyInformation System). In effect, these systems and methods permitcreation of an “Intranet” connecting medical staff, patients andequipment into an automated and coherent universal communication andreal-time operational analysis platform.

Thus, specific embodiments and applications of systems and methods fortag based knowledge systems for healthcare enterprises have beendisclosed. It should be apparent, however, to those skilled in the artthat many more modifications besides those already described arepossible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. Theinventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except inthe spirit of the appended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both thespecification and the claims, all terms should be interpreted in thebroadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular, theterms “comprises” and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring toelements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicatingthat the referenced elements, components, or steps may be present, orutilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps that arenot expressly referenced.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for deploying an automated scheduling system within a healthcare enterprise, the automated scheduling system running on a computer processing unit that includes hardware and software, the method comprising: tagging a patient with a first RFID tag; tagging a healthcare asset with a second RFID tag; affixing more than one RFID tag to the healthcare asset; placing a plurality of RFID readers within the enterprise, the readers configured to cooperate (a) with the first RFID tag to send to the scheduling system location and identification information of the patient, and (b) with the second RFID tag to send to the scheduling system location and identification information of the healthcare asset; submitting a first rule to the automated scheduling system configured to cause the computer processing unit to automatically send a first electronic message to a first staff member based upon the location and identification information of the patient; and correlating a physical proximity of the first and second tags as an antecedent step to delivering a clinical service to the patient; wherein the first staff member is not the healthcare asset; wherein the first RFID tag further comprises at least one of an Ultra-Wide band and Ultrasound frequency capability.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising tagging at least one of an electronic device, a staff member, a mechanical device, or another patient with an RFID tag.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first RFID tag is a different type of tag than the second RFID tag.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information sent to the scheduling system further comprises physical parameters data selected from the group consisting of an environmental parameter and time.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information sent to the scheduling system further comprises operational data selected from the group consisting of on/off status, functional status, maintenance status, analytic data of a clinical test, and a replenishment trigger signal.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least 80% of the information sent to the scheduling system is refreshed at least every 10 minutes.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first electronic message comprises a first procedural step.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the healthcare asset is one of a medical care provider, a medical equipment, a drug, or a document.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the healthcare asset is a combination of more than one of a medical care provider, a medical equipment, a drug, or a document.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer processing unit sends the first electronic message to more than one staff member.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer processing unit sends the first electronic message to the first staff member and a second electronic message to a second staff member.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the clinical service is at least one of administering a drug, using a medical supply, verifying a specimen, or performing a procedure.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein more than one procedural step is associated with the first electronic message.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first rule triggers the first electronic message and a second rule triggers a second electronic message.
 15. The method of claim 1, further comprising the computer processing unit sending a second electronic message to one of at least a second staff member, a computer system, an automated machine, or a communication system.
 16. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic message comprises a billing data for the patient.
 17. The method of claim 1, wherein the first electronic message comprises the location information of the healthcare asset.
 18. The method of claim 1, further comprising the computer processing unit sending a second electronic message comprising a set of staffing attributes to a staff timekeeping system.
 19. The method of claim 1, wherein the first electronic message instructs the first staff member to use a piece of equipment to perform a procedural step.
 20. The method of claim 8, wherein the first procedural step comprises retrieving the healthcare asset.
 21. The method of claim 1, further comprising tagging the staff member with a third RFID tag.
 22. The method of claim 1, wherein the healthcare asset comprises a medical information regarding the patient.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the medical information is selected from the list consisting of a medical history, a diagnosis, a drug listing, a radiographic image, and a healthcare plan information.
 24. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating a positional attribute with the second RFID tag by combining a telemetry unit with the second RFID tag.
 25. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of RFID readers has a resolution less than five feet.
 26. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of RFID readers has a resolution below five feet.
 27. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of RFID readers are accurate to at least one of a room, a sub-room, or a bed level.
 28. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the first electronic message on a handheld device.
 29. An automated scheduling system in a healthcare enterprise, comprising: an RFID receiver configured to receive: a first set of RFID information from a first RFID tag, the first set of RFID information including a first location attribute and a first identification attribute, wherein the first RFID tag is tagged to a patient; and a second set of RFID information from a second RFID tag, the second set of RFID information including a second location attribute and a second identification attribute, wherein the second RFID tag is tagged to a healthcare asset; wherein the first RFID tag is a different type of tag than the second RFID tag; a computer processing unit that includes hardware and software, communicatively coupled to the RFID receiver; wherein the computer processing unit is configured to: receive a rule, wherein the rule is entered via a user interface; wherein the user interface is configured to allow a user to select the rule via graphical menus; and associate the first location attribute and the first identification attribute with a first message based on the rule; send the first message to a first staff member based upon the rule and the first and second sets of RFID information; and wherein correlating a physical proximity of the first and second tags by the system is an antecedent step to delivering a clinical service to the patient.
 30. The system of claim 29, further comprising tagging at least one of an electronic device, a staff member, a mechanical device, or another patient with an RFID tag.
 31. The system of claim 29, wherein the first set of RFID information includes physical parameters data selected from the group consisting of an environmental parameter and time.
 32. The system of claim 29, wherein a portion of the first set of RFID information is the same as a portion of the second set of RFID information.
 33. The system of claim 29, wherein the first message comprises a first procedural step.
 34. The system of claim 29, wherein the first RFID tag further comprises at least one of an Ultra-Wide band and Ultrasound frequency capability.
 35. The system of claim 29, wherein the first message is sent to more than one staff member.
 36. The system of claim 29, wherein the healthcare asset is one of a medical care provider, a medical equipment, a drug, or a document.
 37. The system of claim 29, wherein more than one message is sent to more than one staff member.
 38. The system of claim 29, wherein the first message instructs the first staff member to perform a first procedural step, and a second message instructs a second staff member to perform a second procedural step.
 39. The method of claim 29, wherein the healthcare asset is a combination of more than one of a medical care provider, a medical equipment, a drug, or a document.
 40. The system of claim 29, wherein the computer processing unit sends more than one message based upon the rule and the first and second sets of RFID information.
 41. The system of claim 29, wherein a second message is sent to a computer system to execute a first procedural step. 